


The Idea

by J02



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2018-05-20
Packaged: 2019-05-09 08:24:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14712573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/J02/pseuds/J02
Summary: Oliver actually tells Felicity about his idea to take down Diaz.





	The Idea

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place immediately after the last Olicity scene in The Ties That Bind. Probably actually qualifies more as an OTA fic. Very dialogue heavy. For some reason, I have a problem with randomly switching between tenses, I fixed what I saw but there may be still be a couple of issues

_"I have an idea"_

Taken at face value, it was an innocuous phrase and Felicity Smoak was pretty sure that after everything she'd seen since moving to Star City it shouldn't send shivers down her spine. Coming in that tone of voice from Oliver Queen however, it did. "Wait, Oliver, what are you-" she began, only to be interrupted by a knock on the door.

John Diggle stuck his head in, "Either of you have any clue why a chill just went down my spine?"

"Oliver has an idea." Felicity replied.

"Yeah, that'll do it, alright. So how does he die _this_ time?"

"We haven't gotten that far yet. Oliver?" Felicity turned to her husband.

"I want to arrest Diaz, not kill-" Oliver began.

"Oh, we weren't talking about Diaz, Oliver. At least, I wasn't," Dig interrupted.

"Me neither," Felicity confirmed. "Oliver, every year you come up with a plan and _you_ usually die in it! "

" _I_ don't die either!" Oliver nearly yelled before launching into his plan. "...and then I publicly reveal I'm the Green Arrow." he finished triumphantly.

His wife and best friend stared at him in dumbfounded wonder for a minute before Dig turned to Felicity, "He doesn't die so how is it still _so much worse_ than I was expecting?"

"Because it may not be part of the actual plan but I'm pretty sure he _does_ die. He'll be locked up with criminals. Criminals who probably don't exactly adore the Green Arrow." Felicity answered as she paced across the room.

"Could you two stop discussing my plan like I'm not in the room?" Oliver protested.

From where he was stood, Dig had a much better view of Felicity's face than Oliver did. "Oliver, man, I don't think you want to-"

"It's a good plan! I don't understand why you can't see -" Oliver began.

"I need some air," Felicity interjected, trying to get out the door before she lost it completely.

"Felicity..." Oliver whispered, reaching for her arm as she passed him but she just shook her head and kept walking. He tried to follow but Dig grabbed his arm.

"Let her go, man. I don't think anything you're inclined to say right now will help."

"But I don't understand why she's so upset!" Oliver argued.

"And that would be my point. Oliver, you just nonchalantly informed your wife that you intend to go to prison for life and send her and your son into protective custody! How do you not see the problem?"

"But that was the plan during the trial-"

"Yeah, the last ditch, no other choice plan. It was never supposed to be Plan A."

******

Lyla Michaels glanced up as Felicity left the office. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Oliver intends to turn himself in to the FBI in exchange for Watson's help stopping Diaz. His plan is to go to prison for life while William and I go into protective custody."

" _Is_ that a plan? It sounds more like what he and John worked overtime to avoid a week ago. "

"I know. He keeps promising me and William that he won't leave us but when things get tough, this is his first plan. How could he do this?"

"I'm not going to argue that it isn't a terrible plan but Felicity, you were more than willing to risk your life to stop Diaz even though it made Oliver crazy. How is this so different? "

"Because if I had died, Oliver and William would have been here, among people who love them. He wants us to leave everything we know while we wait to hear he's been murdered in prison. William's life has already been completely uprooted twice in less than three years, how can we ask him to go through it again? And I don't... " Felicity trailed off awkwardly as she glanced at Lyla.

Lyla smiled, "Trying to figure out how to say you don't trust A.R.G.U.S. without offending me?"

"I was going to go with _completely_ trust but...yeah."

"I get it. I try to run things as above board as I can but at the of the day, we're still a shadowy government organization. Felicity, you need to have this conversation with Oliver."

******

Oliver closed his eyes for a minute before he looked at Dig. "He almost killed them, John! If she hadn't made me look at my phone..."

"I know, Oliver. And I know how much the idea of losing them scares you but-"

"I can face anything if I know they're safe. Even if it means I never see them again." Oliver interrupted.

"Yeah, I get that but you're asking them to accept the opposite. You want them to face an unknown future while knowing that you're likely being tortured or killed. Felicity tried to kidnap you from the _League of Assassins_ , how on Earth did you believe that she'd be okay with this?"

"That's an excellent question," Felicity said as she reentered the room. "John, can you give us a minute?"

"Let me know if you need me to try physically knocking some sense into him," John offered as he left.

 "Oliver, I know you want to save the city from Diaz but there  _has_ to be another way." Felicity began. 

 "It's not about saving the city, it's about saving _you!_ Of course I want to save the city but he almost killed you...I can't lose you or William, it would destroy me!" Oliver interrupted passionately.

 "Slade Wilson, Damien Darhk, and Adrian Chase all almost killed me too but we found a way through-" Felicity argued.

"Are you really trying to use the multiple previous attempts on your life as an argument  _against_ protective custody?" Oliver asked incredulously.

"My  _point_ is that Diaz is just a thug. Damien Darhk  _paralyzed_ me but we still defeated him-"

 "And a small part of me has never left that street. Everything I've been through, everything I've done...that night is still what I see most often in my nightmares. One minute I was the happiest I'd ever been and the next I was watching my world bleed into the street...I'm finally that happy again and I c-c-can't-" Oliver stopped speaking as tears filled his eyes.

Felicity hurried over to embrace her husband. "Oliver, I understand that you're scared of losing me and William. I'm  _terrified_ of losing you too but this isn't how it works.  It _can't_ be how it works. We fight our way through together and nobody nobly sacrifices himself in the name of saving everyone else. That was our deal."

" I know you're right but I can't come up with another plan-" Oliver whispered as he hugged her back.

Lyla entered the room with her husband close behind, "Sorry to interrupt but I just got off the phone with Washington. In light of the death of multiple agents and the multiple attempts on my life, including one involving the city's police force, A.R.G.U.S. has been given full authority to act. We should have Diaz in custody within a couple of days."

 ******

_**Two Days Later** _

Oliver looked at his wife, "Diaz is finally behind bars, along with everyone on his payroll. I wish things had gone differently with Curtis and Dinah -"

 "I know but there was nothing you could do, they weren't even a part of the battle. Who could have predicted that freak T-Sphere explosion?  At least Rene survived, he'll never be Wild Dog again but Zoe didn't lose her dad." 

 "I guess we have to take our victories where we can get them. I love you."

"I love you, too"

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
